Awards of Outstanding Achievement

The Awards of Outstanding Achievement recognize exceptional museum projects in a variety of different categories. The CMA awards committee assesses all submissions and winners are selected by majority vote. If the committee is unable to identify a suitable achievement, no award is given. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.

Categories

Conservation: For excellence in preservation and conservation practices.

Education: For programming that advances knowledge and understanding by reaching new audiences or enhancing existing ones.

Exhibitions: For temporary, permanent, or traveling exhibitions that effectively and distinctively contribute to increase public understanding.

There are two sub-categories:

one for museums with less than $1M annual operating budgets, and

one for museums with annual operating budgets over $1M.

Marketing: For effective marketing tools, including advertising campaigns, public relations and promotional programs, which increase public awareness, and visitorship.

New media: For innovation in accessibility, engagement and participation by way of virtual publications, virtual exhibitions, online educational resources, social media initiatives and other technologies.

Research: For research activities carried out in museums or applied to museum practice that contributes to the development of new knowledge and understanding. This category also includes publications and collection management practices.

Eligibility

Open to any individual, team or institution in the museum field, with the exception of the members of the CMA awards committee. Projects must be completed during the year of application.

Deadline

November 15 each year.

Criteria

Projects will be assessed against the following:

Diffusion: Promotes physical, intellectual and social outreach.

Inclusion: Reflects upon and represent both accessibility and diversity.

Innovation: Promotes new and creative ideas.

Practices: Exceeds the current standards of museum practice.

Relevance: Demonstrates relevance to the communities served.

Resources: Demonstrates an effective use of available resources.

Vision: Advances a vision of the future of museums, of what could be.

Nomination instructions

Nominations may be made by the person or group who carried out the project, or by a third party, and must be sponsored by someone with individual or institutional membership in the CMA.

You simply have to complete and submit the nomination form. The form requires the following information:

A full project description, max. 750 words.

A project explanation, max. 1,500 words, that details what makes this project an outstanding achievement, how it meets the selection criteria.

You may provide hyperlinks or web links as relevant support material — OPTIONAL.

If you are submitting a publication nomination, please ensure to send 6 copies by mail to the CMA Secretariat at Suite 400 – 280 Metcalfe St, Ottawa, ON, K2P 1R7. Please note these publications will not be returned.

Questions? Contact:

FAQ

1. When will the CMA provide a response to the nomination submitted?

With a nomination deadline in November 2017, you should be receiving a response in February.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

2. How do I fulfill the following criteria: “Projects must be completed during the year of application”?

If your project or accomplishment was launched, initiated, opened or created between November 2016 and early November 2017, you are eligible to apply providing you meet all other requirements and criteria. The project could still be active or available to the public after November 15, 2017, but needs to have been launched or initiated before late November 2017.

The Canadian Museums Association's Secretariat is located on the traditional lands of the Algonquin peoples.We extend our appreciation for the opportunity to live and learn on this territory in mutual respect and gratitude.